The embodiments described herein relate generally to rotary joints, and more particularly, to electrical connections across rotatory joints formed by small-diameter capsule slip rings (CSR) as implemented in computed tomography (CT) gantry systems.
Slip rings are used to transmit electrical signals—either data or power—across a rotatory joint to/from a stationary platform from/to a rotating one. Slip rings that require a large thru-bore, like those used on computed tomography (CT) scanners, may be one of the more expensive components in a CT system. At least some known slip rings wear and fail due to the effects of kinetic friction at the contact point of the rotary joint (which is substantially an entire inner surface of the large thru-bore slip ring in these systems). Failure of a slip ring in the field can trigger an expensive process that requires shipment and installation of rigging to remove and/or support parts of the CT rotating gantry so that the slip ring may be removed and repaired or replaced. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to have a CT system in which large thru-bore slip rings are replaced with an alternative component that is more easily replaced and/or repaired.